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Manchester I L7489 crashed at Marienborg 9/5-1942.
The aircraft belonged to RAF 50 Sqn. Bomber Command and was codet VN-?
T/O 21:47 Skellingsthorpe. OP: Warnemünde.
The Manchester crossed the Danish west coast north of the island of Sylt and
flew on to the Heinkel works at Warnemünde. The attack was successfully carried
out from 1500 feet even though flak was intense. After the bomb run the crew
were not able to close the bomb doors and with these open it would not be
possible to reach base. Course was set for Sweden via Denmark. The Manchester
managed to climb to 4500 feet but was not able to maintain the altitude even
with engines running at full power. The starboard engine and wiring caught fire
and could not be put out, and when they approached the island of Møn they were
down to 2000 ft.
Pilot Sgt Maurice Gruber ordered the crew to bail out when over the island.
The last of the crew to leave was Navigator/Bomb Aimer P/O H.F. Avery who told
Gruber that he would leave through the rear hatch and leave the front hatch
clear for Gruber.
Avery hurried down to the rear hatch and jumped out in a hurry as they were down
to 500 feet. When his chute came out the harness hit him in the face and
rendered him unconscious. He came too after about an hour.
The aircraft crashed in a field belonging to the “Marienborg” estate at 02:23
hours.
(Via Michael Lauersen)
(Via Michael Lauersen)
(Via Michael Lauersen)
(Via Michael Lauersen)
(Via Michael Lauersen)
(Via Michael Lauersen)
(Via Michael Lauersen)
(Rufus Gruber)
Pilot Sgt Maurice Gruber
Sgt Maurice Gruber did not get out and fell to his dead with the aircraft. When
the body was retrieved from the wreckage it was laid in a white coffin which was
covered with flowers by the local people and taken to the chapel at Svinø
cemetery.
(Marco Hansen)
(Marco Hansen)
(Marco Hansen)
(Marco Hansen)
(Marco Hansen)
(Marco Hansen)
(Marco Hansen)
(Marco Hansen)
(Marco Hansen)
Gruber funeral
On 13/5 Gruber was laid to rest. The German Army Chaplain Fisk officiated at the graveside
ceremony which was attended by a German Guard of honour and representatives from
the Danish police.
(Rufus Gruber)
During the morning the crew was found by the Danish police scattered over Møn
and brought to the police station in Stege.
P/O Harald Frederick Avery RCAF was 06:30 found on Nøbøllegaard farm near Stege.
At 07:00 Sgt John Pearce and Sgt Sydney Garbutt were found at a farm belonging
to Farmer Jantsen, Lerbæk, Askeby.
At 07:30 Sgt Donald Broadhead was found at a farm near Hjelm and at the same
time Sgt Kenneth G.R.Johnson was found on a farm in Nr. Frenderup.
The last crewmember to be found was Sgt Richard Solomon who was located at 12:15
in Frenderup.
Later on the same day the flyers were handed over to Leutnant Detmar from the
Luftwaffe based at Avnø airfield.
From Avnø the crew was sent to interrogation in Oberursel near Frankfurt. After
a while they were all sent to Stalag Luft III Sagan where Avery and Garbutt
stayed for the rest of the war.
Pearce, Broadhead, Johnson and Solomon were later transferred to Stalag Luft VI
Heydekrug and on to Stalag 357 Thorn / Fallingbostel.
They all retuned to England after the war.
The original grave
Niece Jenny Weintroub and husband Sid from South Africa
visited the grave in Svinø cemetery on 3/8 2008.
Sources: LBUK, RL 19/472, AS 17-46, OLCB, T501, BS, UA, Quistionaire For
Returned Aircrew (Avery) via Richard Koval.
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